


Meeting Mother

by Merfilly



Series: Safehaven [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Gen, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 18:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7903126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ahsoka gives Padmé a little briefing. And the next morning, the twins come to see their mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meeting Mother

Padmé Amidala had a strong conviction that waking was going to bring misery. She could not resist the pull of consciousness for long, and finally opened her eyes to the dimmed lighting of a medical area. The scent, despite the sterility of the environment, brought a tang of sea-water, confusing her. She then realized that she was not alone, and turned her face to the person at her side.

Orange-bronze skin, white lekku marked in blue striping, familiar wings on the cheeks and the distinctive stripes and diamonds of the forehead all said Ahsoka. The length of the lekku, the height of the montrals, and the way those markings had spread with growth said an impossible amount of time had passed since she named her children.

"You're awake. Can you see me clearly? Can you hear me clearly?" Ahsoka asked softly.

"Yes, except… you've grown up."

Ahsoka smiled, keeping the sharpness of her teeth hidden in the gentle expression. "It's been a few years, milady."

"My children?" Worry passed through Padmé's heart, and Ahsoka quickly took her hand, squeezing in reassurance. 

"Growing. Eager to meet their mother, Strong in the Force, and trouble on four legs," the Togruta told her. "I sort of took them as my padawans. Along with their friend Roo Roo, though Master Ti is considering taking her on now that she's getting ready for more advanced classes."

Padmé knew it was supposed to be one padawan, one master… and that triggered memory of that awful, awful day and night when everything crumbled into darkness.

"Ani…" she whispered, eyes closing against the pain of knowing her husband had been the tool of destruction in all of it.

Ahsoka's eyes glittered a little, but she restrained what she wanted to say. "He may not be as lost as Master Kenobi said when he brought you to us. As I was able to use what I learned, trying to heal you, to persuade the man he is now to finally strike against his master."

"Good," Padmé said to that, and let it go for now. "When can I meet my children?" she asked, uncertain of so many things. She tried to push up in the bed and felt so weak. Ahsoka moved, assisting her to be upright and comfortable.

"They're sleeping now. But when they wake, I can ask one of the boys to bring them to us," Ahsoka said. "I have the men that left with me to rescue Echo… and no, none of them participated in the killing. We were still on mission when Tup got a severe headache, and tried to get to me. It's only lucky that I was already so on edge that I deflected his shots. A small fight broke out, and we got him sedated. Kix couldn't figure it out at first, but once we had Echo, we did."

"What… what happened?" Padmé asked, eyes on Ahsoka's face. 

"They implanted the boys with chips, to control their aggression, supposedly. But they had orders, orders that could not be disobeyed." The younger woman shook her head. "Tup's must have malfunctioned, but Echo knew the orders, figured out that for some reason, Tup had reacted to a contingency order. We had been keeping Tup sedated, mostly, and Kix suggested that maybe the chip was the culprit… but he could not, physically could not!, operate.

"So I did, after Kix instructed me how. And Tup was fine when he came up from surgery." Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders. "I operated on Kix, he fixed the rest of the squad, and we tried to get back into friendly space so we could warn the others. Only, it had already happened by then."

"That's how they managed to do it," Padmé said sadly. "I couldn't understand what I was seeing and hearing. It made no sense."

"We wound up regrouping to Master Yoda and Senator Organa just in time to get Kix in the medbay with you. He made the call to use stasis, and I backed him up," Ahsoka explained. "Master Ti and I, with my men, brought you to Naboo. Officially, you died, and there was a funeral. But the funeral procession was a sham, and your ladies did a wonderful job of making the whole thing look real. In reality, Jar Jar arranged it so that we could all live down among the Gungans. Rex actually suggested it and negotiated it with him and the Bosses."

"I thought I smelled the sea," Padmé said with a faint smile at that. 

"Ugh, yes." Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Apparently Togruta were not meant to live below the sea. Both Shaak and I kept getting raw spots, skin sloughing off from being down here. Thankfully, one of the ladies figured out we were too delicate and gave us an oil that keeps our skin whole."

That actually elicited a laugh, though it left Padmé winded. "It sounds like you have made quite the life for your people."

"The boys are great, and well-favored by Gungan security, both for trouble and for hunting," Ahsoka agreed. "And Roo Roo did need a teacher. We fit into life as best we could, and try hard to give back as much of what they give us."

"Where is Obi-Wan then?" Padmé asked, after several long moments.

"Out there. Somewhere. He and Master Yoda chose exile away from us. It was enough of a risk, having Shaak join me, but I think they were all afraid of me being so young." Ahsoka sniffed at that. "Torrent and I were not letting anyone take you and the babies from us. And Shaak is… adapting. She's great support, but she lets me lead. She just went with the boys on a quick mission, to help make a little chaos out there, and Rex said she was supportive, not authoritarian."

"Good." Padmé closed her eyes, feeling so tired. "I shouldn't want to sleep more!"

"Yes, yes you should. Stasis is not rest, and your body does need time to heal," Ahsoka reinforced. "Sleep now, and know I am close by." She helped Padmé slide back down in the bed, and covered her again with the blanket.

+++

Ahsoka had found soft clothing for Padmé to change into after supporting her through a shower. She had then gotten her comfortable in an actual apartment, propped up in a bed, all before the twins escaped the care of Fives and Echo. She only barely manage to intercept them as they tracked her down with the training bond, catching them just outside the apartment door.

"Hello, little ones," she said, smiling brightly as she knelt between them. "And why are you two already scampering through the city on your own this morning?"

"Momma! Momma's awake!" Leia said, almost vibrating with energy. "I dreamed it, and it's real, isn't it, Buir-Soka?"

Ahsoka laughed and nodded. "You are so bright and strong with the Force, Leia. Yes. She is. But you know how some people are weak after they have been hurt or injured? Like you were after that fever?"

Leia nodded, her smile faltering a little. She was still upset that Fives had caught her illness and been sick for so long. Luke turned his blue eyes into the most serious, worried look ever at her, and Ahsoka hugged them both.

"She will get stronger, little ones. I promise. But right now, you have to listen, hard, for when she is too tired. And be quieter than normal, until she can be up and running with you."

"We will, Buir-Soka," Luke promised, taking his sister's hand. "May we meet her now?"

"Yes." Ahsoka stood and opened the door, leading them to the bedroom. Padmé could only stare, seeing so much of herself in her daughter, and Anakin, as he had been so long ago on Tatooine, in her son. Ahsoka stood out of the way, leaning on the wall, as the children went on bravely. They clambered up on the big bed, knee-walking up to either side of her.

"Hello, Leia. Hello Luke," Padmé said warmly, taking in how fit and strong they were, how long they wore their hair in carefully tended braids. They both looked like angels to her, a promise of better things to come.

"Hello, Momma," they said in unison, before smiling shyly at her. Leia settled, legs tucked under her, while Luke sprawled on his belly, propping up on his elbows. 

"We're so happy you're awake now! Buir-Soka and Buir-Rex have told us a lot about you," Luke said.

" _Buir_ , that means parent?" Padmé asked, to be certain she was understanding them correctly.

"Yes! Rex and Ahsoka and Shaak are all _buir_ , while the others are _bavodu'e_ to us!" Leia explained. "But you are momma," she added, using the Basic word.

"I think I like that you have so many parents," Padmé said, "and uncles. We have a lot to learn about each other, don't we?"

"Yes we do," Luke said. "But we are also going to take care of you, until you're strong enough to swim and explore the city with us."

Padmé eyed Ahsoka, who looked innocently back at her.

"I will leave you with your children, Padmé," Ahsoka said, smiling. "I have duties to attend."

With that, she walked out of the apartment, letting the small family bond with one another. She knew that the twins would be careful with their mother, and Kix would be by soon enough to check on her. She had a comm to make, and wasn't much looking forward to it, but with the twins firmly tied up, now was the best time to do it. She went to her own apartment, nearby, and let herself in. Rex wasn't present; she wouldn't be surprised if he was either with Tup or planning something with Boss Lyonie.

Settling herself on the couch, she keyed the transmission, again praying Echo had reworked the encryption adequately. Nor was it long before the comm connected, and she heard the rasp of Vader's breathing apparatus.

"She is alert, and gathering her strength back, Lord Vader," Ahsoka said as politely as she could. "I have not yet arranged for her to speak with you because she does need time to recover from the stress of stasis and her previous state."

"But she is safe from the effects of Sidious's manipulations?" Vader demanded.

"Yes. There is no trace of anything linking her to any other being," Ahsoka assured him.

"I will be patient, then, for a short time, Tano."

That would be a new trick for him, as the monster or even as Skywalker, but Ahsoka would take it at face value.

"I'll be in touch, or she will, as soon as she is stronger."

"Very well."

Ahsoka cut the communication then, and tapped a request to Echo to run a ping-trace on the comm, to make sure it didn't reveal their position. That taken care of, she slid down on the couch to take a much-needed nap.

**Author's Note:**

> buir - parent  
> bavodu'e - uncles (or aunts)


End file.
